Pieve di Monti di Villa is a small village near the top of one of Tuscany’s innumerable hills. There are few residents in peak season; out of it, there are so few people you will come to recognize each voice and its owner within two days. You don’t so much see other people as hear evidence of their presence; they exist in coughs and sneezes, arguments, shooing of pets.

The house itself is perfect. There is small living room with a fireplace, a spacious enough kitchen with a marble counter, ideal for rolling out fresh pasta. Upstairs, there is the sort of bedroom you wish you owned. More than once I was woken by the breaking dawn and floods of new light through the bedroom window. There is a small writing room and a bathroom upstairs and a basement to store firewood and a washing machine below. In short, there is all you need…

by Matthew Freemantle south african writer who stayed to finish his play.

The main arch has a span that seems to defy gravity or at least boggles the mind as to how it was ever made in the first place. So, it comes as no surprise that there are folk tails and legends surrounding the structure and it history. Even today, its other-worldly resonance attracts gatherings each year, like on the eve of Halloween when thousands crowd its overpass and surrounding banks in hoards that make it impossible to get to and from Lucca.

One of the legends and perhaps the most known is as follows.

The Legend of the Devils Bridge.

The architect that conceived the bold construction. once at the point of turning the arch, lost in drawings and calculations all his hopes. Science and experience didn’t help him anymore. Any human faculty had become useless. He swore at the unfinished work asking for assistance from the Devil. A man wrapped in a cloak appeared. He had a black suit and a pair of flaming eyes.
“Did you call me?” he asked, his face illuminating with a sudden flash.
“Who are you?” murmured the architect.
“The one who you invoked able to help you”
“Do you know what I want?”
“I know everything”
“Would you be able to turn round this bridge’s arch?”
“If it is what you desire, the bridge will be ended off”
“And what mercy are you asking for this?”
“A mere trifle for you. Just the soul of who first will pass through here”.
The man before clinching the deal, withdrew into his own thoughts. Then, once lifted up his eyes towards the man in black, in a low voice replied: “I agree”.
The darkness canceled hills and mountains as a hell of a night shrouded the valley. At dawn a very high bridge embraced with a unique arch most part of river Serchio. The architect, bound by promise, knew he couldn’t be released from the foul pact. Around him nobody, except for a dog that as looked at him started yelping. The architect called and then persuaded the dog to climb to the top of the arch throwing it some bread. When the animal reached the opposite side a tremendous rumble shook the earth. The rocks on the surface of the left side of the river opened up and from there sank the Devil to go back to Hell.

• a bundle of agparagus

• 1 onion

• 80 g (3 1/2 oz) butter

• 1/2 litre (2 cups) good quality stock

• plenty of grated parmesan

• breadcrumbs

• salt and pepper

For the white sauce:

• 60 g (5 tablespoons ) butter

• 60 g (5 tablespoons ) flour

• 1/2  litre (3 cups) milk

• nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)

• salt and pepper

Chop the onion very finely and soften by frying gently in 40 g of butter. When the onion is ready, add the rice, plus a little salt, and mix so that the rice is well flavoured. Add the boiling stock, cover, and put it all in the oven to continue cooking at 250°C. (480 F.). Do not stir it any more. When the stock has been absorbed, the rice will be cooked exactly right. Take it out of the oven, add the rest of the butter, plus the grated cheese, and lift up the rice grains with a fork. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus and prepare the white sauce:
White source.
Cook together the sieved flour and melted butter over a moderate heat, mixing well to form a roux, then add the milk, a little at a time, and cook thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, and add a pinch of nutmeg. Butter a deep ovenproof dish, sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, and put in a compact, even layer of asparagus, cut into little segments (only use the tender bits). Cover the asparagus with the rice, spread in one layer, and pour the white sauce over the rice. Dot with butter, and put the dish into the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200° C.(390 F.) until well browned. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

These Recipes are from the book From the Art of the Medicis to the tables of today published by my good friends family – you can buy the book from my online shop.

- Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore

Here are 3 simple pear recipes:

Pere al vino rosso / Pears in red wine.

• 4 “Kaiser” pears
• lemon peel
• red wine
• sugar
• cinamon

Keep the pears at room temperature for several days so that they are not too firm and have flavour. Cook the whole peeled pears in red wine and sugar plus a few little bits of cinnamon and lemon peel. Let the pears cool in their cooking liquid, and serve them with cream.

Tortino di pere / Pears in batter tart

• 4 or 5 “Kaiser” pears
• 250 g (1 cup) milk
• 2 eggs
• 80g (2 oz) flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 15 g (1 tablespoon) butter
• 1 tablespoon z,anilla sugar

Peel and core the pears and cut them into segments. Put the whole eggs, flour, sugar and milk into a bowl and use the electric mixer to work them into a smooth batter. Generously butter and flour an oven dish, 24 cm in diameter, and arrange the pear segments inside it in tightly packed circle
form, and then pour in the prepared batter. Put the dish into the oven, pre-heated to 180 C. (350 F.) and bake the mixture for 50 minutes. When cooked, take the dessert out of the oven and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve lukewarm directly out of the oven dish.

Sorbetto di pere / Pear sorbet

• 800 g (2 pounds) ripe “William” pears
• 250 g (10 oz) sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 egg white
• pear liqueur

Make a syrup by boiling 250 g (1 cup) of water with an equal amount of sugar. Peel and core the pears, quickly rub them through a sieve and mix them with the juice of a large lemon. Add the fruit puree to the cold syrup, and carefully fold in the stiffly beaten egg white. Put the mixture in the ice-cream machine. When the sorbet has been distributed into little dessert bowls, add a few spoonfuls of a good quality pear liqueur as a finishing touch.

These Recipes are from the book From the Art of the Medicis to the tables of today published by my good friends family – you can buy the book from my online shop.

- Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore

www.toscanaverde.co.uk/

www.casatuscany.com

www.villatua.com

www.geocasanet.it/enindex.htm

Let us know if you can suggest any other sites!

• 2 cloves of garlic,
• the soft part of one bread roll,
• 1 anchovy,
• parsley,
• salt and pepper,
• extra virgin olive oil

Clean the anchovy removing salt and bones, and wash the parsley thoroughly. Soften the bread in water and vinegar, squeeze it out, and then put it in the processor together with the garlic, anchovy and parsley, adding a very little salt and pepper. Add ol-ive oil as necessary and mix it all well together.

From ‘The Use of Garlic’ cook book. Found at my shop or online.

Editore: Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore

You will need:

• 600 g (1 lb 5 112 0.7) dried codfish already soaked,
• 100 g (3 112 oz) tomato pulp.
• I onion,
• parsley,
• marjoram.
• 40 g (1 II 2 oz.) pine nuts,
• 40 g ( I 1/2 oz) raisins,
• salt,
• extra virgin olive oil

Put the previously soaked and skinned codfish into cold salted water, and boil for 15 minutes. Now drain the cod, bone it, and cut it into pieces. Put these in a pan, together with the roughly chopped onion and the tomato pulp, and cover with cold water. Boil it all slowly until the onion is cooked and the stock almost completely absorbed. Just before serving, scatter on a pinch of chopped parsley and marjoram, the raisins and the pinenuts, and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil.
Chops with pickles, scalding hot
4 pork cutlets (or 8 veal chops). parsley, 1 lemon. 300 g (10 112 oz) pickled vegetables, salt. pepper, extra virgin olive oil
Chop the parsley. Cut the pickles into minute pieces and put them in a single layer on a serving dish. A few minutes before serving, heat up a lightly-greased frying pan and when it is really hot, put in the cutlets to brown, first on one side,

This comes from Cooking with Olive Oil. Found at my shop or online

Editore: Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore

If you have ever stayed in Tuscany over the winter you will know that it can get quite chilly. Especially in Bagni di Lucca where my little shop is. Being nestled in the mountains, it gets especially cold.  Its a great time for getting snuggled up in a blanket, looking out at the rain and snow and there is nothing better than a good hearty soup to keep you company. Here’s a recipe from ‘A Taste of Tuscany’ – another little gem from the collection of cooking books by Maria Pacini Fazzi.

• I cup extra-virgin olive oil,
• 2 medium diced carrots ,
• 1 diced celery stalk, minced,
• 1 clove garlic, minced,
• 1 medium red onion, minced,
• 2 leeks, white part only, minced,
• 5 leaves fresh sage,
• 5 leaves swiss chard, stalks removed and roughly chopped,
• 1 medium head savoy cabbage, roughly chopped,
• 6 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes with liquid, squeezed until shredded,
• 4 new potatoes, peeled and diced,
• 2 celery stalks, diced.
• 2 medium carrots, diced,
• 3 small zucchini, diced,
• I medium fennel bulb, stalks and fronds removed, halved, cored and roughly chopped,
• I cup freshly-shelled peas,
• 2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced,
• 3 fresh basil leaves.
• 1 tea-spoon fresh thyme,
• I pound dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight, drained and cooked with 2 cloves garlic and sage,
• Pinch nutmeg.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-gauge pot over low heat. Add the minced carrot, celery, onion, garlic, leek, sage and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the cabbage, swiss chard, peeled tomatoes and stir until well blended. Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of cold water along with the remainder of the ingredients except for the salt, pepper and thyme. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 45 minutes.
4. Pass the beans and their liquid through a 20 food mill and add the mash to the soup pot. Cook for 1 hour.
5. Divide the bread among 6 bowls. Pour the soup over the bread and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

This comes from A taste of Tuscany. Found at my shop or online.

Editore: Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore

My friend’s family publishes books on the area, and one series of books is all about local cooking (link below). They are simple little €4.50 books that focus on food from a particular locality in Tuscany or even a particular ingredient used in Tuscan cooking.  They are great for gifts or to collect for your own kitchen. Any way, this is a recipe I think I will try this week. Hope you enjoy! let me know how it turns out for you.

We will need:

1/2 pound milk veal, I onion, 1 stock cube, spices, milk, salt and pepper, extra virgin olive oil, concentrate tomato, 1 oz butter
Put into a cold frying pan two generous table spoons of olive oil. On top of the oil, form a small bed of large white onion, cut very finely. Immediately on top of this, using scissors, cut up 1/2 pound of very young tender veal which has been previously thinly sliced. Add the pepper, the crumbled stock cube and the spices (nutmeg, cinnamon) as much of each as you can pick up with three fingers.
Start to cook over a moderate heat, uncovered, and do not stir or touch it with spoon or ladle. When the onion has moistened, raise the heat slightly and brown the meat. At this stage, add 3 dessert spoons of milk (better use a wooden spoon which is not so deep) and reduce. Now add a small piece of butter and reduce again. Put two fingers width of concentrate tomato into a glass, dilute with water until the glass is full (if it is a small one), pour it all into the pan and further reduce. Taste for salt. When the water has evaporated the sauce is ready.

This comes from Dreaming of the Tuscany Table. Found at my shop or online.

Editore: Maria Pacini Fazzi Editore